Lazio will have to face one of the teams relegated from Champions League in a playoff in February. The Biancocelesti played right into Galatasaray’s hands in the final game of the Europa League group stage. They never managed to turn up the intensity and could not find the goal that would have put them on top. Instead, the Turkish club managed the game with great expertise.
Maurizio Sarri partially rested Luis Alberto, while Ciro Immobile got the start despite a recent minor knee injury. Despite having their top guy in the XI, Lazio rarely created chances throughout the game. The Italian striker had the best one near the end of the first half. Mattia Zaccagni escaped down the left flank and found the teammate with a backward pass, but he sent it over the crossbar. A minute earlier, Patrick van Aanholt threatened Thomas Strakosha on a corner kick after a pair of dangerous ricochets.
The contest did not change after intermission. Toma Basic had a minor opportunity with a long-range shot, but it was well wide. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic flicked the ball on for Immobile on a long-ball, but the shot of the forward was blocked by a defender. Alberto came on and had an opportunity to fire from just outside the box on a feed by Felipe Anderson, but his curled shot was imperfect. Zaccagni had the final chance for Lazio on a header, but Fernando Muslera easily corraled it. Emre Kilinc almost scored on the other end on a scrum in the box, but his scuffed shot was just outside the target.